China's finished steel exports totalled 119.02 million tonnes in 2025, up 7.5 percent on the year and setting a new all-time high, according to the General Administration of Customs, whose data was released on 14 January 2026. The total beat the previous record of 112.4 million tonnes set in 2015 and the 111.01 million tonnes shipped in 2024. December alone accounted for 11.3 million tonnes, the highest monthly volume ever, up 13.2 percent on November and 16 percent on December 2024. The year-end surge was driven by front-loading: on 12 December Beijing announced an export licensing requirement covering about 300 steel products, effective from 1 January 2026, under which a licence and a quality certificate would be needed before shipment, prompting mills and traders to rush cargoes out before the new system began. China imported only 6.06 million tonnes of finished steel in 2025, down 11.1 percent, while iron ore imports hit a record 1.26 billion tonnes. With the licensing system now in force, many market watchers expect exports to fall back in 2026.
Source: SEAISI — https://www.seaisi.org/details/27743?type=news-rooms
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